Writing for The Los Angeles Times , Jim Heid focused his latest column on Apple’s forthcoming first major upgrade to Mac OS X, version 10.1. Heid’s comments come in an article entitled Version 10.1 Brings Much to the OS X Party.
Heid cites 10.1’s improved performance and usability improvements, like the ability to turn off font smoothing for small type sizes, a dock that can be repositioned vertically on the screen, and control mechanisms for adjusting speaker volume and monitor settings in the menu bar. Heid also lauds Apple’s decision to hide file extensions in 10.1, a move that has been created to appease Mac veterans who prefer the type and creator code identification system that is in use in Mac OS 9.
Heid admitted that “patience remains a virtue” when it comes to looking for third-party application support for Mac OS X. Heid explained that major apps are coming later this year with native OS X support, including ViaVoice, the finished version of Toast, and Virtual PC.
Heid brings the analysis full circle by referring back to Steve Jobs’ description of Mac OS X’s adoption and evolution as the hours on a clock. Steve said that it’s four o’clock, or four months along the Apple’s yearlong transition to making Mac OS X the primary operating system for Mac users.
“By this measure, the Mac OS X party won’t get really interesting until the evening hours, when the programs demonstrated at the expo become available. And after that? Well, everyone knows the best parties don’t get going until after midnight.”